Inside Kerry Washington's Private World

Washington (the star) has been a committed political and humanitarian activist for the better part of two decades, showing up for women's health, anti-domestic violence campaigns and LGBT rights. She worked on former President Barack Obama's reelection campaign (she says that's how she knew just how useful social media would be to connect with Scandal fans) and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2011. She was a member of the Obama administration's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and in 2016 she endorsed Hillary Clinton along with Rhimes and fellow Shondaland stars Ellen Pompeo and Viola Davis.

The New York-born actress is also a member of the Creative Coalition and the violence awareness group V-Day and most recently she was among the big names who got Time's Up off the ground in Hollywood. Like Olivia Pope, Washington enjoys the finer things when it comes to fashion, and she combines her passions when possible, such as when she designed a limited edition, $595 handbag for Aquatalia—with the entirety of sales going to the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Yet somehow she still had time to make Scandal. And after a little bit of a break, maybe, she's already got her next project lined up—starring in and co-producing, with Reese Witherspoon, a limited series adaptation of the Celeste Ng best-seller Little Fires Everywhere. (That, plus the shows her production company, Simpson Street, is developing; the play she was considering; and the upcoming Facebook Watch series Five Points, on which she's an executive producer.)

But while staying breathtakingly busy, Washington has been sure to keep a little something for herself—namely, her personal life.

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